Monday Prize Crossword/May 5
An enjoyable ride in the wonderous world of Crux crosswords. This time, however, there were a lot of similarities to the puzzles of that other Monday regular, Dante. Meaning: lots of double and cryptic definitions plus a healthy dose of not too tricky devices.
Crux’ cluing can be rather allusive. His Double definitions have often cryptic elements in them, his Cryptic definitions have a hint of Doubles. My last one in was one of the more adventurous (LONELY, 22d) but I was held up for a long time by not spelling 25ac as I should.
As ever many thanks to Crux.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TENDER | Offer money (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | SUNDRIES | Odds and ends a newspaper preserves (8) |
| SUN (a newspaper, The Sun) + DRIES (preserves) | ||
| 9 | AT WORK | Busy couple aboard with Noah, it seems (2,4) |
| TWO (couple) inside (‘aboard’) ARK (therefore, seemingly, in the company of Noah) | ||
| 10 | SNOWBALL | Mushroom that’s round and white, naturally (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 12 | PIPE-BAND | Sounds like only non-smokers in the military ensemble (4-4) |
| Homophone (‘sounds like’) of : PIPE BANNED (only non-smokers in ….) | ||
| 13 | ACETIC | Sour puritan shuns society (6) |
| ASCETIC (puritan) minus S (society) | ||
| 15 | EPIC | Heads of Europe predict increased cutbacks – great! (4) |
| Starting letters: E[urope] P[redict] I[ncreased] C[utbacks] | ||
| 16 | SUGGESTION | It eggs us on, perhaps (10) |
| (IT EGGS US ON)* | ||
| If we’re happy with the clue as a whole being the definition, then this is a full-blood &lit. | ||
| 19 | CATEGORIES | In one case Roget mixed up his classifications (10) |
| (I (one) + CASE + ROGET)* | ||
| 20 | DIOR | Police officer or fashion icon (4) |
| DI (police officer, Detective Inspector) + OR | ||
| 23 | UPSHOT | Outcome of overhead kick, you could say (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | AUTOMATA | Vending machine needs a set of robots (8) |
| AUTOMAT (vending machine) + A | ||
| 27 | IN POCKET | Where skilful potter gets ahead financially (2,6) |
| Double definition, with a nod to a Cryptic definition | ||
| 28 | SENILE | Directions needed on river to get past it (6) |
| S,E (directions, South and East) + NILE (river) | ||
| 29 | SPRAYGUN | It speedily provides total coverage in colour (8) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 30 | CYGNET | A small pen could be crown property (6) |
| The second part of the clue is probably referring to an event like Swan Upping, the existence of Royal Swans or a Swan appearing on emblems. I’m in for better explanations. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | TRAMPLE | Starts to train regularly enough for squash (7) |
| T[rain] R[egularly] + AMPLE (enough) | ||
| 2 | NEWSPRINT | Latest race appears in this paper (9) |
| NEW (latest) + SPRINT (race) | ||
| 3 | ENROBE | Fancy dress? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | ULNA | One lies parallel to the radius (4) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| Nothing to do with circles. The radius and the ulna are two bones in the fore-arm. | ||
| 6 | DOWNCAST | Not working, actors get depressed (8) |
| DOWN (not working, eg of a system) + CAST (actors) | ||
| 7 | INAPT | Taking forty winks in it would be unsuitable (5) |
| NAP ((taking) forty winks) inside IT | ||
| 8 | SILICON | Report of foolish fraud in Californian valley (7) |
| {Homophone (‘report’) of: SILLY (foolish)} + CON (fraud) | ||
| 11 | ON GUARD | Keeping watch, crafty dragon grabs you in the end (2,5) |
| (DRAGON)* around [yo]U | ||
| 14 | IGNEOUS | Mad genius hides ring of fire (7) |
| (GENIUS)* around O (ring) | ||
| 17 | IMITATION | Forgery created by the impressionist (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | A GOOD CRY | Therapeutic waterworks? (1,4,3) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | COUSINS | Relatives in America in 1 across, for example (7) |
| US (America) inside COINS (1 across, i.e. ‘tender’ which can be money) | ||
| 21 | REAGENT | Ruling accepts article will cause some reaction (7) |
| REGENT (ruling) around A (article) | ||
| 22 | LONELY | One in a hundred may finally be withdrawn (6) |
| {ONE inside L,L (a hundred, i.e. 50 + 50)} + [ma]Y | ||
| 24 | SUPER | Wonderful lake, retreat of French king – gone! (5) |
| SUPERIOR (lake, Lake Superior) minus (‘gone’) IOR (reversal (‘retreat’) of ROI (French king)) | ||
| 26 | BEAU | What Cupid has, say, for a sweetheart (4) |
| Homophone (‘say’) of: BOW (what Cupid has) | ||
Re 30: Signet will be among the articles in the possession of a king or queen. That perhaps explains “could be crown property”. But why there is no homophone indicator, I am unable to say.
A small pen refers to a small female swan (a cygnet) which could be royal property, as some swans are, especially on the Thames (I think!)